As the Rain Falls
by Color-de-la-Musica
Summary: Finding comfort in a mysterious foreigner after a heartbreaking tragedy, Haru is thrust into a past she never thought the Cat Bureau could possibly belong to. Baron x Haru
1. Poor, Poor Girl

As The Rain Falls

Chapter 1

_Poor, Poor Girl_

The Kazehana neighborhood was a quaint, quiet, yet friendly community. The people who lived there were named the most kind, most hospitable people in Tokyo, giving off the era of warmth that people were either uncomfortable or shocked about. Everyone looked out for each other, called each other on a first-name basis, borrowed from each other, lent from each other. Teamwork as a community seemed to be the neighborhood's unconscious top priority, as if they were unintentionally part of a fantastical utopia, where everyone lived happily.

Unless times like this occurred.

Ichinomiya Asako, a neighbor within her early fifties, looked at yet another neighborhood patron, Suzumiya Machi, with eyes filled with unshed tears and dread. "What will become of her, Machi-chan?" Both women were standing on the Ichinomiya porch, getting away from the pouring rain as they were looking over at a girl with flowing brown hair and brown, horrified matching eyes to a scene where an ambulance was taking away a body of a woman, different from the others because she was a redhead by nature, of their age, her face pale and lifeless, even from how far the two women were watching. "She's such a wonderful girl…she didn't really deserve this."

"Neither did her mother," whispered Machi. "She's of age now. She's eighteen, fresh out of high school. I'm sure she'll be alright…financially speaking, anyway."

Asako nodded. "This is crushing her, Machi-chan; I can feel it, even from here, even in this dense fog and rain. Two years of a dreadful fight with cancer, and then she gets shot by some crook coming to rob her in this godforsaken fog." She began to clench her fists, rage coming from her grief for her dear friend. "She didn't deserve it. What is it with this world, so cruel and unjust?"

"I suppose, Asako-chan, that that's just the way it is, as much as I'd hate to admit it. It will be lonely without Naoko around."

The woman with brown hair and unsettling blue eyes, Asako, looked at her sharply, but with pain in her slightly angry eyes. "The woman's at peace and the cancer won't bother her anymore. All _I'm_ concerned about is Haru."

Machi's own brown eyes softened with sadness, and she pushed a trace of her graying black hair out of her face. "You're right. But no matter how concerned we are, I don't think that with a blow to her heart this big, none of our comments of comfort would help. She needs to heal on her own."

Asako sighed. "I guess you're right. Oh, poor Haru…"

She wished she could have done something to save Haru from this pain. After all, she'd been the only witness as to what happened. She'd seen a man dressed in casual clothing (to not cause suspicion, she was sure) break into the house, put a mask on so as to not be properly recognized, and she'd heard the screams. And what had she done? Nothing but stare in horror as she watched her friend get shot after trying to fight the assailant off, too afraid of losing her own life – unlike Naoko, she already had grandbabies to live for – to help her out. And it killed her, to only rush back into the house as he was still attacking Yoshioka Naoko and call 911, but when she heard the shot, she'd hung up abruptly after she spoke the address, and called Haru on her cell phone, as she knew that she'd gone out to work and then have lunch with some friends.

She'd been entrusted with Naoko's safety, and she had just stood there like an idiot and watched her die.

And now Haru was going to feel more pain than Naoko probably did as she hit the floor, dead before doing so.

_I'm so sorry…that poor, poor girl…_

_

* * *

_

She was screaming as she ran towards the ambulance as the workers carried her mother's body on a stretcher, her chocolate eyes wild as she realized the situation. Her mother, the only family she had…

"_MOM! NOOO!_" she was shrieking as she ran over there, trying to take a look at her mother's lifeless form, to catch one glimpse of her before they took her away, but then the paramedics grabbed her, pulling her away.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to stay back –"

"NO!" she screeched, as she had a good set of strong lungs, ready to unleash their fury on the ones keeping her away from her mother. "_That's my mother! I want to see my mother!_" they were grabbing her arms, but she thrashed and swung and kicked, hoping to fight them off in any way possible. Finally, she swung at one of the medics so hard that he doubled over into another, blood trailing from his nose as they both fell on their backs. "KEEP AWAY FROM ME! LET ME SEE MY MOTHER!" Tears were swinging wildly from her normally tranquil, pretty, pale face as she was shocking the doctors with her brute strength, especially while having such a slim frame.

After giving another paramedic a fistful in the mouth, she was finally granted access into the ambulance, to see her mother off to the hospital, to hold her lifeless hand as she felt no pulse, and to kiss her cold face one last time. It was hopeless, this trip to the hospital, because as much as she hated to admit it, her precious mother, after fighting a battle with cancer and then a battle with a dirty burglar, was dead.

As she was crying over her mother, still screaming hysterically as if they were still holding her back, while they were instead looking at her with sympathy now, she let her mind wander to the events prior to this tragedy. Today had started out so wonderful, too…

_**Four hours ago, 3:00 PM**_

She stretched her arms wide open, feeling oddly refreshed despite having worked all day at the café in the Crossroads. Perhaps it was because she was finally going to be able to revisit some special friends, friends that had helped her through quite a difficult situation in her life. Not the current one she was in now, with her mother's – she hated calling it anything else – ailment, but one from before all the bad things started happening. Wanting to come in with a brighter spirit than she would be if she focused on these thoughts, Yoshioka Haru shook her head, getting rid of anything negative. Brushing off her sky blue shirt and loose white pants and making sure her hair – she had let it grow quite long after she'd cropped it, since now even the longest of her diagonally-length bangs reached past her chin – was unknotted under her newsboy black cap, she marched away from the café.

Everything seemed fine, so she got her bag and headed out into the foggy afternoon. It wasn't unheard of, fog in the summer, but it wasn't completely an everyday thing either. She just supposed it was one of those days.

"Okay, Muta, ready to – " she cut off her sentence as her caramel eyes saw the empty seat where her obese white cat usually napped. "Go…?"

Haru shrugged. _Looks like I'm goin' it alone._ With a content smile, she quickly rushed into the alleyways that lead to her destination, hopping on the rooftops and climbing down stairs like nothing at all. After two years since her feline-oriented adventure, she had joined the track team and became very agile, although her dancing skills were still the same…unless she was with him. She remembered this path better than her own neighborhood park's. Without noticing that a few minutes had gone by, she was soon down the last, thin alleyway, but thanks to having a slimmer figure than she had before, she was easily able to crawl through it.

Her eyes then witnessed the quaint beauty of her favorite place in the world besides home – the Cat Bureau. She breathed a dreamy sigh, loving the fresher air this place seemed to provide. Too bad that it was so small for her, because she'd always figured it would be more enjoyable had she been the same size as her gentlemanly companion. "Hello, Toto," she murmured to the crow statue on the pedestal that was about her height.

Before her very eyes, a light seemed to engulf the crow as he soon morphed from stone to a midnight black crow, stretching his beloved wings as if ready for flight. "Afternoon, Haru. How are you today?"

She had never revealed the fact that her mother had her ailment to her friends, because she was sure she'd get their pity. The last people in the world she wanted pity from were them. So she always acted like nothing interesting ever happened. "Pretty good. Had breakfast with Mom and Hiromi, worked with some new employees, and I got the usual mulberry muffin for you." She extended her hand into her messenger bag, pulling out a plastic case with a muffin inside and opening it to hold out the beloved pastry to the crow. "You like?"

"I love," he said, eyes sparkling with delight at it before he took the whole thing in his mouth, flew down to the ground, and began eating it. "Thank you, Haru!"

A giggle escaped said brunette's lips. "Oh, it's no problem. Say, where's Muta and Baron?"

"Well, the fatso's off to run an errand of his – says he wanted to get the paper. And I dunno about Baron, because since there's no sun today, I don't see why he would want to do the lightshow. Perhaps then the marshmallow won't be as irritable."

A full on laugh came, as she knew how much the crow and her fat friend loved to argue. It still worried her, though, that they'd get hurt someday, but she just stuck to Baron's approach and let them fight. Speaking of whom, she heard a click of a door sound. Haru's face visibly brightened as she saw her favorite ginger orange cat figurine enter the Bureau in his crisp, light gray suit and top hat. "Good afternoon, Haru." Baron Humbert von Gikkingen smiled as he looked her over. "You look rather more fetching than usual today."

Instantly, she blushed. She'd hoped she get that response from him. "Um, thank you, Baron…" she muttered as she hid under her cap, not wanting to make the tint of her cheeks visible. "You…you look cooler than usual too, today…" In all actuality, he looked cooler every day.

He smiled, and invited her in for tea after Toto finished his beloved mulberry muffin. She was just about to go down on her knees to enter the little house, but Baron shook his head. "You won't need to worry about that anymore, Haru."

She straightened and tilted her head to him, obviously confused. "Hm? What's that mean?"

Her beloved cat figurine friend chuckled. "Wait just one moment." He quickly searched the inside of his gray jacket, breathing an "Ah-ha" as he pulled a solid light blue drink out, uncorked it, holding it to the brunette. "I don't think you should ever worry yourself over the entry anymore," he said enigmatically, smiling as though he himself was excited.

Haru cocked an eyebrow, but shrugged before she took the vial – probably about the size of her thumbnail – between her fingers and tipped it to her lips, feeling an icy-mint taste pull down her throat. "Tastes like mouthwash…" she giggled after she swallowed it. Not long after, she felt her body begin to crunch down, her bones shrinking, shifting so that they would fit into a new, compact body. Haru had closed her eyes, and opened them slowly as she felt the changes stop. They soon snapped open when she saw Baron's figure smiling at her – as if he were in the same height range as her. "What the –!"

Baron chuckled. "A potion from Lune; having heard of your inconvenience, he searched and searched for the right potion. Now, once you step through that last alleyway as you enter the Bureau, you will shrink to this size. I hope you like it."

"Like it!" Haru cried, grinning ecstatically as she suddenly ran up to her feline friend and wrapped her arms around his neck in a friendly hug. "Baron, this's the best!" She looked up at him, and realized what she was doing, holding him like this. A bright pink blush crossed her cheeks and she leapt away from him – was a that a tint of pink she'd seen on her friend's cheeks as well? Looking away to hide the deeper red blush, she stuttered out, "I-I-I'm sorry…I…uh…"

"Quite alright, Haru. I…I understand your happiness, sharing it myself." He said it so calmly, as if it hadn't fazed him at all. Haru didn't know whether she should be relieved or hurt. "Won't you venture inside for some tea, to celebrate?" He swiftly turned around, using his forever-present cane. "Toto, come along, before Muta decides to pick a fight, should he come here."

Cackling and the beating of wings could be heard behind the brunette. "Fine; such a shame, I was actually looking forward to picking the marshmallow's brains – whatever he has, anyway – out."

"WHAT WAS THAT, BIRDBRAIN!" the familiar, gruff voice sounded.

Haru sweat-dropped, while Baron sighed quietly under his breath; without even turning around, they knew that Muta must have barely walked in to hear Toto make that comment. "So soon…?" she heard a tired whisper from her orange friend.

"You heard me, you overstuffed pillow-case!" the crow quickly combated, and soon enough the familiar sounds of the eternal fight between cat and crow ensued, much to Haru's worry. Baron, as usual, assured her everything would be fine and assured her into the house.

"On a fine day like this, too," she heard him muttering as he settled his jacket and hat aside before going to the tiny kitchen. He sighed, as if to cleanse his mind of his bumbling companions. "How was your day, Haru?"

"Good, as usual…" her voice trailed off as she gazed at the house for the very first time in this form. "I can finally see every detail of this place…you really do have great taste, Baron." She sat on the couch, loving the silky feel and how she sunk into it, like she would her own bed after a long day. "Ah…"

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself," he said, chuckling as he poured milk into the teacups.

Haru was still looking around the place in awe, having never gotten this good a view from her regular size. She then looked behind Baron's back, for the first time noticing the portrait of a beautiful white cat, who looked much like Baron, except she was female. Instantly, her curiosity was pricked. _Such a beautiful lady…was she Baron's…?_ Having harbored the crush on him – and having let it grow – she didn't want to finish her thought. "…Baron…" she whispered.

Noticing the anxiety in her voice, her friend instantly turned his head to look at her with worry, setting down the tea tray. After realizing she wouldn't elaborate, he walked over and sat on the armchair across from her. "Yes, Haru? What's wrong?"

"Could I ask…who's that woman, in the portrait?" she asked quietly.

Baron's eyes widened slightly before he looked over his shoulder, his own emerald eyes meeting the painted ones. Haru couldn't tell if his eyes were of pain or happiness, as the emerald orbs softened. She wondered why she had let herself ask the stupid question in the first place. "That would be a close friend of mine, the Baroness."

Baroness! Haru's eyes nearly burst out of their sockets; her worst fears had been confirmed. "Oh…I didn't know…"

"We weren't married, if that's what you're thinking," he said, returning to the kitchen to get the tea tray and fetching it back quickly. He was silent as he was offering her tea and pouring the right amount of milk into it, just as she liked it. "We were engaged. She was a Baroness since we were born, however…she was taken away."

"Did you love her?" _OH! Stupid question after stupid question!_ She must be causing him pain, inquiring so much of these things.

He chuckled. "As my best friend. We never really could find something that would make us romantically involved willingly, but our parents wished it, and we got along as though we _were_ a couple. So I wouldn't have minded terribly to be married to her. I miss her…" a softer chuckle came from his lips. "Again, she was my best friend, although we behaved so differently. She was a bit…more defiant, I suppose. She even dared to smoke for a while, before her mother forced her to stop."

A sense of relief washed over Haru; so Baron had never been in love with her. And then she became intrigued at his last statement. "People smoked those days?"

"Mostly men, naturally. I never really cared for smoke, but she found it made her feel more alive." Baron smiled at her warmly, making Haru's heart melt slightly. "Quite different from you, actually, but I think you would have gotten along with her well; you have that ability, Haru, and I find that's what I like about you –" he stopped abruptly, blushing before he could go on. The human girl across from him had a significant amount of pink on her cheeks, as well.

"Baron…" she was just about to continue before a ringing sound was heard, and both of them turned to look at her bag. "Oh, I'd better answer that…" she picked up the phone, and a sense of panic soon came to her when she read the caller ID:

**Ichinomiya Asako-san Calling**

Something was wrong, but she didn't dare show Baron.

"Hello?" she answered in a shaky tone, making Baron quirk an eyebrow.

"_HARU-CHAN! Your mother…get over here, Haru-chan! Please!"_

"Asako-san, what happened?" Haru asked again, more panic begin to seep in.

"_A man came into your house and broke in; I ran in to call 911, while your mom was fighting him off. But…Haru-chan, he shot your mother…she's gone, Haru-chan. I'm sorry! I should've just gone to help her! I'm so sorry!"_ she was getting hysterical, and Haru's response wasn't very calm either. As Asako had said her story, Haru's eyes had slowly begun to widen in absolute horror, her mouth going agape. Her mother… "Bye, Asako-san, I'll be right over…" she barely stuttered, and quickly stood up, hanging up the phone. Tears were threatening to come out, but she dared not show Baron.

"Haru…what's…?" Baron murmured, seeing his dear friend's distress.

"I have to go!" Haru nearly screamed, running out of the house, faster than he'd ever seen her run. Toto and Muta were right in front of the Bureau, and she nearly swung them five feet away, she was in such a hurry. "I'm sorry!" she finally called, but she unwittingly let out a few hidden sobs, indicating that something was indeed wrong.

"HARU!" she heard her three friends chorus as she turned that last alleyway, instantly returning to her normal size, and being able to outrun them more easily now. As soon as she was at the Crossroads, she let her tears run freely, horror cross her features more easily, and her legs carry her the fastest she'd ever gone yet. She didn't look back. Her mother…her mother…her mother was dead…

No, she wouldn't believe it! Not after this long battle with her cancer…she was taken down by a bullet! No, it was a lie. This wasn't happening…this couldn't be happening to her now!

What would she do without her mother?

_**A week later…**_

She stared at the marble stone blankly, a picture of the beloved one she lost encased in the center of it. She'd been standing outside since the funeral, which had been only a few hours ago. Tears freely roamed her face, and her lip quivered incredibly as the fact that Yoshioka Naoko was gone began to sink in. She was gone. Her mother was gone.

Haru's bloodshot eyes looked at the sky, not noticing the rain constantly pattering upon her face, and she let herself sob out, more than she had all week. All of the people visiting their beloveds' graves looked at her, almost about to chastise her for being so loud, but after realizing who exactly it was, their eyes became full of understanding and they kept quiet, letting the brunette cry as much as she wanted to.

However, they weren't expecting the ungodly cry she soon unleashed, once again proving her impressive lung capacity.

"_**MOM!"**_

She didn't notice another woman in black look at her from the back, crying her head off. The woman's long blonde – almost white – curls seemed untouched by the rain as she stared at the girl with a look that was cross between indifference and sympathy in her emerald eyes. She slowly approached her, stopping at the grave closest to the right of the brunette.

Haru wasn't paying attention, too lost in her own misery to notice even the pouring rain. The woman beside her, however, had a hat and an umbrella. The blonde looked at the brunette before patting her shoulder with a black gloved hand. "Hey…"

The brunette looked up slowly, tears still running freely, and she was shocked at the beauty of this woman. She looked exotic, with her hair and eyes. _She's gotta be a foreigner…_ she thought, for the first time her thoughts not about her mother. "Y-Y-Yes?" she muttered.

The woman smiled and tilted her umbrella. "Come under here; you're soaked." She had an accent that was just like Baron's, except in a feminine form. It was beautiful just to hear it.

She hesitated at first, since she didn't know who the heck this woman was, but she seemed safe enough. Within a few moments she slowly made her way under the umbrella. "Thank you…" she whispered.

"It's okay, Haru, I understand how you must feel right now," the blonde murmured. "Cry all you want."

"How…how do you know my name?"

The woman's eyes widened shortly for a second before she gave a quick response. "All of Kazehana knows your name, Haru, so why would it be a surprise if a newcomer like me didn't?" Her calm demeanor returned, and she smiled at her kindly with her eyes closed. "Go on, just let it all out; I'm separated from someone I really cared for because of death, too."

Haru looked uncertain. "But…it'd be an inconvenience…I-I'd better not cry when you've offered your umbrella to someone you hardly know…" In all honesty, she didn't know this woman at all, and was more or less a bit creeped out by how she was so willing to be so kind to her.

"Just trust me," the woman whispered.

Suddenly, right after she registered the meaning in those words, Haru could've sworn she saw Baron looking at her with that kind smile. Almost immediately, Haru hugged the woman, crying into her shoulder, realizing that this woman was a good head taller than her. No one, not even Asako, had ever offered a hug or a shoulder to cry on, most of them afraid to even look at her; she'd been so hysterical the day it happened. It felt relieving. "Thank you!" she cried, hugging onto her tighter. "Thank you…"

The woman merely smiled and brought an arm over the tinier brunette's slim shoulders. "No problem, Haru…"

* * *

"You really didn't have to do this," Haru said for the umpteenth time as the woman was leading her to her house, still holding her black umbrella. "You've been so kind to me…I…"

"_You really_ shouldn't talk," the woman cut her off with a kind yet curt tone of voice. "There's no way I'm letting someone walk alone in this rain without an umbrella, especially not someone who's gone through an ordeal like yours."

Haru was silenced until they reached the front porch of her quaint two-story house. She bowed humbly to the woman. "Thank you so much. You've shown so much kindness towards me."

"No problem, Haru," the woman laughed, still keeping that kind smile that Haru couldn't help was so familiar. "If you ever need someone to talk to, just come to cemetery. I'm always there."

Haru smiled and nodded, blushing slightly at being so fondled over, and quickly headed up the porch, unlocking the door and opening it. Before entering, however, she looked at the retreating form of the woman. "Wait!" She stopped, but she didn't look back at Haru. "What's your name?"

This time, the woman only turned her head towards her, her eyes shielded by her large hat. "Louise Rosenthal," she called, before continuing towards the direction of the cemetery, not looking back at the wide-eyed brunette as she disappeared into the rain.

* * *

**I hope you guys like it. Don't worry, for those who bother to read my Haru-less other fic, I won't be putting it down.**

**I don't know how I came up with this, but for some reason I imagined Haru crying over a grave, and suddenly Louise was right there, comforting her. It was weird, and so I built a whole story around it. Again, I hope you'll enjoy it, even though it's not like YarningChick's works. (I think we can all agree she's amazing. :3)**

**Okay, well, that's all, folks! Hope summer's been a blast! - Color-de-la-Musica**


	2. Git

**Okay, so I lied when I said that I wasn't going to delete my other fic. I deleted more than that one particular fic, however - in the others, including Cat's Magic, Girl's Heart, I didn't like my writing at all. Then again, I doubt I will ever really be satisfied, but...anyways, it's gone. I'm sorry. If anyone wants me to rewrite it, I will do my best to.**

**ANYWAYS, enjoy the second installment of As the Rain Falls. **

* * *

Chapter 2

_Git_

This was getting worrisome. After her outburst back at the Bureau, she still hadn't come back. Now it was even starting to worry Muta, and the heavyset cat rarely worried over his "Chicky" after the Cat Kingdom fiasco. Toto had begun looking for her by air, although he could only travel a few miles, not as familiar with Tokyo's streets as he'd thought. Part of this could've been because Haru had never left them an address to find her; in fact, when Baron thought of it, she hardly spoke about her familial life now. She'd talk about her two best friends, Hiromi and Tsuge, but that was all. A word about her mother hadn't reached his ears in over two years.

Had that been what had gone wrong? Did something happen with her mother?

_That would probably be it,_ he deduced as he saw Toto flying in from his latest flying expedition. Almost immediately, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen got his coat from the rack and headed outside briskly, anxious to find whether or not Toto had found out anything interesting about his favorite brunette. _Then again, she would probably react that way for anyone, the dear girl…but something's wrong with her, and I want to know exactly what._ He stopped directly in front of his feathered friend. "Any news, my friend?"

Sorrowful black eyes looked at him before the black crow shook his head. "I'm afraid not. All I've heard of is this rumor of _Moshu no Kazehana_."

Baron's ears pricked in interest, but before he could say anything Muta spoke up. "Kazehana? What about Kazehana?"

"_The Chief Mourner of Kazehana,_" Baron translated, thanking whoever was up in the clouds for his gift of languages. He looked at Muta with one eyebrow arched. "Why would you ask, Muta?" His fat friend would only inquire of something so trivial – normally he'd just shush and let Baron translate whatever he couldn't get – if it were truly important. That fact alone worried him to death.

Muta grunted. "Damn…Haru's from Kazehana; at least that's what I remember her saying. She only told me that she lived there, but I have absolutely no idea what it is."

Now it was Toto's turn to include himself in the conversation. "From what I've heard from the other birds, Kazehana's a neighborhood where it seems utopian; everyone knows each other, cares for each other, and they have their own private cemetery, park, and schools." He looked at Baron sternly. "If we wanna find Haru as soon as we can, then I say we should check it out. Question is: how?" The latter statement struck the trio silent. None of them had ever really set foot too far out of Tokyo since the Bureau was formed; what could a fat cat, a cat gentleman figurine, and a crow gargoyle do?

_More than likely we'd get lost, without knowledge of the area. Also, I'd have to get around without being noticed, _Baron thought. He turned his back to his friend, lifting his hand to cup in chin, pondering whatever options they had. "Hm…" There was a long, nerve-wracking period of silence that followed, but neither Muta nor Toto seemed to mind. Suddenly, the Baron could just feel the light bulb clicking over his head. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed, smirking as he clasped his hands together. He swiftly turned on his heel, facing his long-time friends with a brilliant smile that was borderline arrogant. "Muta, how good are you with holding something in your teeth?"

"…Why don't I like that question at all, Baron? I mean, really. Why?"

* * *

Normally he would opt for the comfort of being on Toto's back, but he felt like this would be more appropriate, for some odd reason. Also, he couldn't help but be entertained at the obviously shame or discomfort that he was obviously causing Muta. A fat white cat that didn't seem friendly at all was carrying a pink box with a pink ribbon, in which the cat figurine was encased. "How much closer, Toto?" he asked from the box.

"Better be close, Birdbrain; I'm sick of holding Baron like this," grumbled Muta, who received a tongue-sticking from the crow hovering above them.

As he swooped his head across to get a better look at the area, Toto absentmindedly stated, "My friend Ichi said it's not too far from here. In fact, I'm betting we'll be there within three minutes."

While Muta breathed a sigh of relief, Baron was struck silent by the horrible breath his huge friend had. _Note to self: Sneak mints into the next angel food cake._ However, he couldn't let a strange sense of excitement course through his veins. He'd always wanted to see where Haru lived; now, perhaps, he could go to visit her, once they found her. But at the same time, anxiety washed over him, almost plowing him down; what if something horrible had happened to Haru? He'd rather not think of it, for his own sake, but he had to make himself prepared for it…as unwilling as he was. "I suggest we go to the cemetery. I have the feeling we'll find something about her there."

Toto nodded and guided them further downwards, taking them down a few turns and straights. Eventually, Baron and Muta heard a gasp. "Guys…look at it."

Baron popped out of the box slightly, while Muta nearly dropped said package from shock.

They'd been here before. A very, very long time ago…

They'd hoped that the memories had been buried away, never to resurface in their minds again unless they forced themselves in. Now they were all flooding back. Just because they'd gotten one look at the cemetery.

Baron gulped. "Go…go on, Toto. Let's try to find out what happened to Haru…" his voice hadn't wavered for a long time; the sensation felt like a whole new phenomenon to him. It just felt so overwhelming…But they had to do it. For Haru.

With some hesitation, the crow agreed, and led them onwards. There was a surprising amount of people in there, all speaking in hushed whispers if there were more than three of mourners. All were talking about one thing, Baron soon discovered.

"Muta, sit near the next bench," Baron whispered, and with a nod, Muta obeyed him, perching right next to the bench where five residents – four women, one man – were chatting in very quiet, respectful, concerned tones. He hadn't heard that kind of tone since a very long time. The world had become so cold to him, until Haru had entered into the lives of the Bureau.

"_The poor girl…has it really been a week?"_

"_About ten days. But it must feel like an eternity to her."_

"_I wouldn't blame her; Yoshioka-san was taken away so suddenly…and so unpredictably."_

"_Wasn't she nearly cleared for cancer?"_

"_Nearly, but rumor has it that it returned full-force recently before she…"_

"_So Haru already was going through yet another tough spot."_

All members of the Bureau tensed. So something had happened, and something to her mother. Even though he didn't know too much about her personal life, Baron knew her name as if it were the most favorite quote of all human history. Yoshioka Haru.

"_When wasn't she, Hoji? Really?"_

"…_True, the poor girl."_

"_Hush, here she comes now."_

The trio all snapped their heads to where the mourners were averting their eyes to, and instantly Muta and Toto hid into the bushes. Baron took the opportunity to peak out of his cover again, to get an equal view. Thoughts whirled through Baron's head. Why had Haru never told them about all the trouble she'd apparently gone through at home? Why didn't she let them offer her their shoulders to cry on? Baron felt awful; Haru was strong, to deal with a cancerous mother and then her mother being "taken away suddenly," whatever that meant.

All of them were shocked to see how Haru looked now.

No longer were her eyes glowing with life, just ready to live the next day. They were dulled, sad, empty. Like she didn't even want to live to the next step she made down the path. Despite how her eyes looked, she had a smile on her face. A sad and weary one, but still, it was a recognizable smile. Baron was shocked, yet proud; she still had enough strength to keep smiling, if it meant that others wouldn't be made aware of her pain. She extended her smile at the group as she passed by. "Good morning, all," she chimed, closing her eyes contently, almost as if to hide how deathly they looked. "Nice day today, hm?" Without waiting for their reply, Haru walked off, as if to avoid any predicted questions.

"Hurry Muta, follow her," Baron ordered quietly yet fervently. The white cat wasted no time and took off, with Toto following suit. She didn't walk that far; they could tell because she was the only mourner wearing all black. Black blazer, black tank-top, black pants, black heels; she looked as though she were barely going to a funeral. It wasn't long until they found a new hiding spot to avoid their favorite brunette's gaze.

Said brunette stared at the grave for about ten seconds, before crashing on her knees to the ground, her long brown hair flaying and falling like a beautiful chocolate cape across her now-shaking shoulders, covering her face. "Mom…" she sobbed out, "How could he, Mom? How could such a horrible person exist, to just barge into a random house, where a sick middle-aged woman was sitting around, helpless, and kill her before she could even put up a real fight?" Despite all the agony she must have been going through, her voice rang clear and steady. "Why did it have to be _you_, Mom?" her voice started to crack, and she succumbed to her heart-wrenching sobs for her mother, like a child lost in the cemetery.

"So what happened?" whispered Muta, breaking the shocked silence he and the others shared.

Baron tried to connect Haru's monologue and the group's conversation from before. Being Baron, it didn't take too long until all the pieces seemed to be connected. "While Haru was with us, someone must have broken into her house, where her mother was there, alone. The assailant had a loaded gun, much to Yoshioka-san's disadvantage, although she didn't know it. She decided to fight back, even though she was already infected with cancer, but within a very little amount of time, the man shot her. Given her current condition, she was probably dead before Haru got the call." As he recited his deduction, the Baron had a hard time fighting off his own _fury_ at the man who had caused Haru so much pain. However, he felt even more fury at _himself,_ for not being able to detect such tragic events going on in Haru's life.

"Who could do such a thing?" Toto cawed mournfully, his heart aching for his good friend.

"A loon who should've died as a kid," spat Muta, his own sympathy taking its form as anger. "There's something we gotta do for her, Baron; Chicky shouldn't be alone in this. Hell, she shouldn't be alone at all."

Despite his urge to reprimand the fatso for his crude tongue, Toto nodded. "For once, I agree with him. What do you suggest we do, hm?"

For once, Baron was unsure, and yet an idea was starting to form. Muta had a point – Haru didn't deserve to be alone, but by the way no one was going up to her and comforting her, that was exactly her status. Being a proper gentleman through and through, he scratched the idea of her coming to live in his house. The Bureau had been meant for hundreds, possibly thousands of Creations when it had been opened. Alas, Creations were hard to find, as not many artisans put so much as their soul into an artwork. As far as the Baron knew, he and Toto were the only Creations in existence.

And now she could shrink to his size whenever in the Bureau…

"What would it be like if we brought her to the Bureau as a neighbor of sorts?" he spoke, and both of his companions snapped their heads towards him, eyes wide in shock but hope continuing to climb in their hearts.

Haru living with them would certainly be a joy. Baron and Haru simply loved each other's company, despite the fact that both didn't acknowledge it, Toto could never get tired of their witty conversations, and Muta looked to Haru as if she were his daughter.

The frequent adversaries shared a rare, calm glance and smirk. Both looked at Baron, who smiled at the fact that they seemed to like the idea, and bird and feline spoke their thoughts in unison.

"Why not?"

Baron mirrored the smirk, something he rarely showed. "Well then, let's head to the Bureau and prepare a house, shall we?" Although sad to leave their friend, but hoping and thinking that with their offer her happiness will eventually restore itself, the trio embarked on the way back to their secluded him, successfully avoiding Haru and any other Kazehana resident in the cemetery. Baron opted this time to ride on Muta's back, since he was small enough to not be noticed. (Much to Muta's joy – it meant having to get rid of the horrid pink box.)

As they began leaving Haru, the cat figurine swore on his supposed immortality he heard an oddly familiar voice.

"_Don't worry about her for now…Git."_

Losing his composure for once in his life, Baron whipped around and yelped. "My God…" he whispered, eyes wide in horror.

Muta looked over his shoulder, his expression lazy with a hint of concern. "What's with you?"

"Hurry out of here, Muta," Baron breathed unsteadily. "I could've sworn I heard _her_…"

"Check yourself into a loony-bin; you know that can't be poss—"

"I heard a voice call me Git."

Without another word, the obese feline scurried out of the cemetery, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head just as Baron's had. Toto would faint from shock after the two told him about their encounter back at the Bureau.

* * *

**You guys can kick me for making the chapter so short. I just felt it was an appropriate ending. For all who read, I don't think it'll take such a long time to figure out who the voice is, right?**

**Well, anyways, please enjoy this; I enjoyed writing it, because I like entertaining people. :3**

**Love,**

**Gabby "Lunarobi Pride"**

**P. S. Also, I'd like to advertise my poll; I'm considering yet another name change.**


	3. Allow Me to Help You

**UGH, I'm SO sorry, readers. Summer's been so dramatic and hectic. I barely got this out now. I really hope to become more organized this coming school year, so please bear with me!**

**Please enjoy this chapter; I hope you will!**

**Love, Gabby**

* * *

Chapter 3

_Allow Me to Help You_

She hadn't meant to scare him. If she had known that both cats – figurine and furball – would get so spooked at those words, she would've just kept her mouth shut like her better judgement had told her to do. _I guess you weren't ready, huh, Git?_ she thought, looking down and away as she felt their presence dissipate in the distance. Sighing, she turned towards a certain brunette's direction, and saw the girl still crumpled on the ground. Narrowing her eyes, she nodded; she would make sure he got what he deserved. The first step, though, was getting Haru back into cheer.

Nearly gliding across the pavement as she strode over to the girl, she reached the girl within moments. Expectedly, however, Haru had made no acknowledgment of her presence; a common symptom of depression. She crouched on her knees and placed a tender hand on Haru's shoulder, not bothering to make a sound. What hadn't been expected, however, was that Haru would let out a piercing scream that echoed through Kazehana like a stampede. She gasped and grabbed hold of both of her slim shoulders that made Haru face her, and immediately the girl's scream ceased and her expression seemed dumbfounded. "Louise-san…?"

"You know I feel uncomfortable with using honorifics, Haru; blonde-haired foreigner, remember?" Louise jested, trying to lighten to mood of the girl's awakened sorrow. Haru didn't meet her eyes; her own chocolate orbs drifted to wherever Louise herself wasn't. The blonde sighed, and hooked her arm with Haru's own. "C'mon, I'm taking you home," she declared gently as she began to pick Haru up, the brunette suddenly jerking back.

"Why are you taking me home this time?" the girl pleaded, although Louise had already set them at a steady pace outside the cemetery gates. "Why do you never let me be with Mom?"

Louise was going to retort with a comment she might have later regretted, but bit her lip and pulled Haru closer to her, silently reinforcing her grip with hooking her free arm around the brunette's waist…which she found to be drastically slimmer than it had seemed the last time they had met, a mere two days ago. "I'm taking you to the city," she began, shocking the girl in her arms, "But first, I'm getting you into some nicer clothes; no one wants to see a pretty girl like you dressed completely in black that's _not_ trying to achieve that 'lolita' look."

Haru silenced, Louise took the opportunity to swoop Haru in her arms, the pace they had been going at increasing significantly. "It's ten in the morning, so I wanna be there right in the afternoon, where everyone's at their high," the blonde muttered, a light blush creeping into her already becomingly flushed cheeks.

* * *

Haru couldn't help but blush as she took in the fact that she was within the arms of another girl. _Why does she remind me so much of him?_ she thought, dumbly gazing at the young woman's determined face just as she had to a certain cat figurine in their adventures in the Cat Kingdom.

Those had been the days where life – although she hadn't found herself like she had now – seemed tons better than it had now.

Louise made an abrupt stop, and gently let Haru touch the ground again. "Get inside," she heard her friend say as a hand pressed against the small of her own back. "Dress into something nice, 'kay? I'll wait outside."

Uncertain about this whole idea, Haru looked at her new protector with her brow furrowed downwards. Louise gave a reassuring smile, and nodded towards the door. Somewhat filled with a calm and nurturing feeling, Haru smiled as best she could (meaning it was more than likely invisible) and made the pathway towards her home.

A home she wouldn't have for long. Not bearing to be in this neighborhood again, Haru was determined to move far away from Kazehana after she had completed the term of her mourning. And Kami-sama knows how long that would take.

Blankly staring at her reflection in the mirror, she was now dressed in a pale green blouse and light washed jeans, and her hair was neatly brushed, falling almost to her waist now. She sighed and gingerly headed down the stairs, not really caring where Louise was planning to take her tonight, but at the same time grateful that someone was here for her, since Hiromi and Tsuge had yet to come back from their honeymoon.

She heard a loud thump of from downstairs and Louise shouting "_Heilige Scheiβe!_" Fear lighting her senses, Haru rushed down the remaining steps with the agility her time as a half-cat had left behind. She reached downstairs within a moment, looking frantically around and seeing Louise on the floor, holding a photo in her hand as if she had just rescued it from falling and smashing it into pieces. The sweat-drop on her head proved it. "Are you alright?" Haru asked, her eyes shining with more emotion she had displayed in a long time.

Stiffening, Louise looked up at the brunette, easily embarrassed, and got up while dusting herself off, the photo still in her other hand. "Sorry, but the man in this photo…he's your father?"

Now it was Haru's turn to tense. She walked over and gently plucked the photo with Louise's hands, staring at the portrait with a sad tenderness. "Yeah, that's Daddy." Staring back at her was a young, eight year-old brunette with an adventurous fire in her maple eyes she hadn't felt in a long time. To the girl's left, there was a much healthier-looking Yoshioka Naoko, the spitting image of her daughter but with red hair. With one arm wrapped around his beloved wife, Yoshioka Akira grinned mischievously at the camera; Haru hadn't earned much from him in looks aside from his brown hair; she remembered all the times she wanted to have his sparkling royal blue eyes. "'Yoshioka Akira, at your service,' he'd say," the brunette laughed breathily.

"Oh, that's his name," Louise murmured, relief coating her words. "He looks almost exactly like a…pretty negative influence from the past," she added, her eyes darkening. She shook her head, "Anyways," she grabbed Haru's hand before rushing out of the Yoshioka residence, "Let's go!"

* * *

Despite her anticipations of the outing, Louise had managed to make Haru laugh more than three times during their escapade downtown. Whenever she could make a fool of herself, Louise would, just to see Haru grin and giggle, like the brunette the blonde knew her to have been. Haru hadn't tasted ice cream in a long time, and the flavor of chocolate chip – her favorite – seemed to brighten her day just by a little bit.

Although she still missed her mother dearly, each and every time Louise grabbed her hand and insisted Haru explain to her what the significance of a certain place or object was, she felt that maybe it was about time to move forward. The breeze that whispered by as she thought that and the way it seemed to caress her cheek seemed to confirm that thought.

Eventually, she even started to initiate. "Louise, follow me; I wanna take you somewhere." In her grief, Haru had quit working at the café, since she had resolved to find more productive work once her mourning ceased. And since she, her mother, and Hiromi had shared so many memories there. But for some reason, going to the place without thinking she worked there made it seem a little easier to go.

They arrived there within moments, in content silence. As soon as they seated themselves, a pink-haired girl no older than sixteen walked to their table, looking pointedly at Haru with concern. "Haru-chan, my condolences for Naoko-san. Nakina-san says the meal for you and your friend will be on the house."

Haru smiled and nodded to Louise. "Yuko-chan, this is my friend, Louise Rosenthal." She then nodded to Yuko. "Louise, this is Royama Yuko." Both of them exchanged friendly greetings, and proceeded to order ham and mozzarella club sandwiches for each of them. The food was brought very quickly, and both of the young women had at it.

"Louise…?" Haru asked, still feeling awkward to not use the honorific around her new friend.

Said blonde was attentive immediately, her emerald eyes glittering with unquenchable curiosity.

"When you caught the picture, you said something in German. Do you come from Germany?"

Louise had her lips to her teacup, but held the cup in midair and smiled, her eyes boring into Haru's. "_Du bist sehr schnell_, Haru," she said, and at the obvious confusion on her friend's face, she chuckled, "It means: 'You're very quick.'" Her eyes glazed over and her smile earned a more dreamlike quality now. "I was born in Dresden, Germany, and lived there with my mother and father until I was seven, when we moved to England. Apparently my father's friend – a nobleman, no less – had done very well upon moving there, so he followed his lead. I met the nobleman's son, who had also been born in Germany but had moved there when he was four. He was already fluent in three languages: German, English, French. He taught me all three, and we both grew to learn a handful of Japanese, since we both aspired to see the culture one day." She shrugged casually, a loopy grin on her face, "And so, here I am, living the dream for both of us. Death got in the way once we came, you know…"

At that, Haru jolted, and remembered her words when they had first met.

"…_I'm separated from someone I really cared for because of death, too."_

"I see. Sorry for asking."

Even though it should have been awkward, the two carried out their day with nothing but cheerful talk and light laughs.

When Louise looked at the sunset sky, she seemed to be in a hurry to leave, for a reason Haru was never made aware of, even though she had noticed that her blonde companion preferred being out in the early morning and afternoon but no later. Haru merely bid her farewell with a hug and a wave goodbye, thinking she had something else to do, while she was out here.

But as she saw her friend's retreating back, Haru couldn't help but wonder the real question she had been dying to ask.

_How does my dad look like someone from your past?_

* * *

The Refuge looked as charming as she had left it two weeks ago. The sun setting cast beautiful lights with the help of the windows of the houses. Baron's lightshow wouldn't have been necessary. But now she could enjoy its splendor as one of Baron's figurine size.

She approached the white and green-trimmed cottage she was so familiar with and took a deep breath. No doubt the Cat Bureau trio would want to know what had happened on that day. The feeling made Haru sick to her stomach. Was she really ready to speak so openly about her mother's passing? She didn't know.

Both Baron and Louise popped into her mind and both formed into a half of one body, matching green eyes staring at her kindly. _"Just trust me,"_ they breathed, before disappearing into the dark depths of her imagination. Strangely enough, the visual made Haru looked bravely into the cottage and raised her hand to the door, rapping on it thrice, firmly but gently.

Within a moment, a very befuddled Baron Humbert von Gikkingen answered the door, for once losing his composure and staring at the brunette in shock. "H-H-Haru!" he stuttered, seeming to breath harshly as if he had been in a hurry to answer the door. He seemed to notice his disheveled state and straightened himself, coughing into a fist as if it would help him to remain calm. "Ah…please come inside, Haru; we were all beginning to worry about you," he said strongly as he opened the door to make clear passage for her to come inside.

Haru giggled, and touched Baron's cheek as she walked inside. "You don't need to worry about me, Baron. I'm fine, thanks."

Her hand on his cheek felt warmer before she forced herself to pull it away, should she prevent pushing Baron into the house with her. He closed the door, and all was silent until she heard footsteps trudging into the living room from a hallway she hadn't quite noticed before today.

"Geez, what was that about Baron? You bolted to that door as if Ha—" he stopped midsentence as he locked eyes with Haru, who merely smiled at him in return. He sighed, mumbling "That explains plenty" before walking over to Haru, looking down at her for the first time since their adventure two years ago. "So Chicky, what happened that day?"

"Muta!"

"No, Baron," Haru said, nodding up at him, "You three deserve to know…" she looked up and around, not seeing a speck of black anywhere, "…Well, as soon as Toto's here. Where is he?"

Both felines looked at each other guiltily, neither daring to look the tiny brunette in the eye. Haru's look darkened and she crossed her arms, staring at the both of them. "He's out looking for me, isn't he?"

"You never told us where you lived," Muta grumbled, "We've been looking everywhere for two weeks."

After switching her gaze between the two of them twice, Haru sighed, a wry smile venturing across her cheeks. "That's alright. It won't matter anymore, soon."

Baron's ear twitched and he tilted his head to the side, brow furrowed. "And why is that the case?"

"I'll be moving, soon. Don't know where, but I'm moving far away from my old neighborhood."

Muta and Baron's expressions lit up, but just as Baron was about to open his mouth, a frantic Toto came flying through the balcony window.

"She's not in her house, Baron! Haru's –" the bird's beady black eyes soon met with Haru's brown. "Oh."

"For once, your timing's not completely off, Toto," Baron said, smiling, "I was just about to bring up our…proposition."

Haru blinked curiously at the tawny feline, slowly raising an eyebrow to him. Tilting her head to the side, she murmured, "What proposition, Baron?"

Her friend let a smug smirk stretch across his jaw as he approached her, turned her swiftly around, and covered her eyes with one of his gloved hands, the other on her shoulder for guidance. "Just trust me," he whispered, and Haru couldn't help but get shivers down her spine as she nodded. She could hear Muta and Toto snickering, instead of their usual fights she had grown so accustomed to, as she was led outside of the Bureau-house and into a rather chilly Refuge, walking straight for a few moments, until coming to a stop. She felt Baron's hand of her shoulder leave to make some swooping motion, and soon the flap of wings and pawsteps could be heard, followed by swinging and flicking, before everything when silent. She heard Baron whisper, "Alright, Haru. Open your eyes."

She obeyed without question, and the action revealed a smiling Toto and Muta, one of each side of a tall light blue house, its door open and its lights on. Her mouth hung open in shock, and she turned around and saw a warmly smiling Baron. "You've known all along what's happened, haven't you?" she whispered, eyes shining with unshead tears. So the trio _had_ known about her mother, if they were offering what she thought they were offering…

"Yoshioka Haru," Baron began, keeping his hand on her shoulder, but motioning the other arm towards the house. "Allow us to show our condolences, we'd like for you to become a part of our family, by living at the Refuge."


	4. A Silent Cry

**Alright. So I know plenty of you are wondering exactly where in the _world_ I've been all this time. The answer, although fairly simple, is as equally grave.**

**Writer's Block.**

**Yes, and barely last night I had an epiphany. So I miraculously was able to not whip up just one, but TWO chapters for your enjoyment.**

**Consider it as a late Christmas gift, and an early New Year's Eve gift.**

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS, my faithful readers. Please enjoy yourselves!**

**With love,**

**Gabby**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 4

_A Silent Cry_

_A silky blanket of fog covered the floor of the cemetery, making it seem that the tombstones and foliage existed within the heavens. Nothing could be seen for more than a few feet ahead, as all of Tokyo seemed to be covered in this mysterious mist. She looked around, her brown eyes wide and wondering how in the world she had landed here._

Since I'm here, I guess I could see Louise, _she thought, since her blonde foreigner was always here when she was here – a coincidental situation she was still trying to figure out. She cautiously made her way to the bench where most of their meetings occurred, desperately hoping her klutz attacks wouldn't come back with a vengeance due to the fog obscuring her view. _C'mon…heel, toe, heel, toe, watch for cracks, heel, toe…

"_Haru!" a piercing scream howled through the cemetery, from far ahead. Haru snapped her head up from her feet, but still saw nothing but gray. She froze for a second, recognizing the fright in the voice._

_Sighing to relax herself, looked determinedly ahead, and began a brisk jog, but not long into it, she felt something pulling her back, causing her to propel forward and land almost on her face. Eyes widening, she twisted her torso so that she could see behind her, her long hair falling over her face. She brushed it off quickly and, after seeing what had happened, let out a relieved breath._

_A branch from a bush had merely caught onto her pajamas._

_Pajamas? Had she sleep-walked all the way here? Last she checked, pajamas hadn't been regarded as appropriate for seeing the dead._

"_HARU!"_

_She whipped around, grabbing the twiggy branch and snapping it off her clothes, before struggling upwards to run towards the voice. Briefly, she saw a pattern of the outlines of trees, then enough fog to obscure them from view, repeatedly and repeatedly as she ventured through the cemetery, until she realized that she had failed to make any necessary turns to arrive at where Louise would be._

_She looked around anxiously, but saw nothing familiar at all. "L-Louise?" she croaked, wondering if her savior would come this time._

_Or worse: her savior was the one who needed to be saved._

"_Louise?" she called out again, her voice echoing through the mist._

Her snapped open, staring at the ceiling fearfully as she tried to regain her breath with short, heavy gasps of air. She clutched onto the bed sheets tightly, as if knowing that if she could _feel_ something, _anything_, reassured her that it had all been a dream…she didn't want to admit it had been a nightmare…

Even if she already felt her hot tears clash with a cold sweat.

Still panting, though her breath was nearly recovered, she sat up and looked at her new bedroom window, now a few feet away from her instead of right next to her like at her old home. Her breath was stolen away yet again by the rare (but common here, Baron had told her) myriad of stars that dotted a clear blue sky. The Refuge had always been protected from all of the outside world's dangers, including pollution, he mused out loud to her with a relieved smile on his face. She still remembered how her heart had skipped a beat, when she saw that serene smile.

"_HARU!"_

A shudder racked the brunette's body like a tidal wave had just hit her back. Fresh tears spilt from her eyes as she gazed at the bright stars and moon. Not even this rare scene was enough bliss to make her forget that scream.

Whose had it been, anyway? Haru refused to believe that Louise was in trouble, and yet, the similarities between the shriek and Louise's normally soothing mezzo were undeniable. Wiping her tears away again, she looked at the shining sky, her eyes almost begging to the stars, _Please, _please, _make sure Louise is all right._

What would she do now, if the one shoulder that had been supporting her for the past month was suddenly torn away from her just as her mother had been? She winced. Even though she had the Bureau now, Louise was her sole feminine comfort. Hiromi and Tsuge were still on their three-month honeymoon. Honeymoon…she looked at the elegant cottage directly across from her home. Its size hadn't changed to her; she knew it would be so much larger than normal, thanks to her size, but at the height of her new home, it still looked as it had always been; tiny.

Suddenly, lights turned on inside the office. Haru quirked an eyebrow, and wiped the remaining tears away, not wanting to worry Baron. She hopped off the bed, turned on the bedside lamp, and looked at her reflection. Her favorite plaid pajamas and messy hair were a little less than appropriate to see the gentleman.

Haru quickly put on a simple long-sleeved white shirt, a somewhat fitting zip-up gray hoodie, and let her pants stay the same. She brushed her hair through several times until it was deemed presentable, but not trying too hard. She smiled, slipped on slippers, and headed downstairs, all the while wondering what could've caused Baron to be up so late.

* * *

"_Don't worry about her for now…Git."_

Those words had been ringing inside his head since morning. They were the reason he was up this late, in his desk, staring at old case files of a certain Cat Kingdom incident. Just when he thought things were over, and their lives seemed to begin anew, their past came back to haunt them. With terrifying force, he added silently, remembering the mini heart-attack he nearly suffered when he heard that voice. Muta was beyond frightened, and Toto…he'd fainted, for crying out loud. Although, given everything that had transpired…

…Toto's fainting could be easily excused.

He fought back all the memories that he had gathered, all those years ago. The suffering, the chaos, the _guilt_… Since he felt no one could see him sheltered within his home's walls, Baron let his guard down and winced.

_No,_ he inwardly groaned, eyes shut tight. _I can't let this get to me…now while Haru resides only a few seconds away. I can't…_

Haru. Her name was crossing his mind more and more, and ceasing his heart's fluttering at the mere thought of it was getting increasingly difficult. But something else had been bothering Baron about his favorite brunette.

_She hasn't spoken one word of her ordeal, even though we've made it clear we're well aware of it, _he mused, and his emerald eyes wandered to a matching set as the Baroness looked at him, a little more serious in her countenance than content today. His brow furrowed at it, not wanting to believe what could very well be the inevitable. _Are you really watching over her when we can't…?_ he asked, his eyes shining with genuine curiosity. He shook his head furiously. She couldn't hear him.

His eyes drifted from the portrait to the drawer next to his right hand inside his desk. On impulse, he drew it out and launched his hand into it, shuffling throughout the messy – the _only_ messy – drawer until he found what he wanted. A small smirk crossed his lips until he pulled out a small, wooden-framed portrait.

Staring silently at the picture, his brow furrowed in frustration. _Why must we live with so much uncertainty…if all of us are still _living_ anyway…_

A sudden knocking interrupted his thoughts, and Baron let his body jolt. Firmly stuffing the portrait down to whence it came, he made sure it was well hidden with all the other knick-knacks inside as he stood up and grabbed his jacket and hat. Should it be a client, he wanted to look as presentable as possible.

Confidently striding towards the door, and gently opening it, he nearly hopped out of his fur when he saw it was the very object of his thoughts.

Sparkling brown eyes looked at him with undeniable curiosity. "Hello, Baron," Haru murmured quietly, hugging herself gently from the chilly night.

"H-H-Haru," he sputtered, and quickly reprimanded himself as soon as he did. "Whatever are you doing out so late?" he asked worriedly as he beckoned her inside.

"I had a hard time sleeping," Haru answered quietly, rubbing the remaining chill off her arms as she her eyes darted all over. Baron smiled in amusement; he knew that the vantage point she now had was still fresh, and it was adorable to see his brunette gaze about as though she were a child in a toy factory…

Did he really just think of her as his?

"I see," he answered, closing the door behind her. He let his hat hang with his cane on the rack, but wrapped his jacket around Haru's slim shoulders. He could see her tense a bit and as she looked up, he saw a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks…which made his own grow slightly warmer. "Ah…"

"Thank you, Baron. I appreciate that," the brunette breathed, their eyes not traveling away from another for a good five seconds afterwards. Finally, both human and feline tore their eyes away from the others, the ceiling suddenly catching Haru's attention and Baron appearing preoccupied with the floor.

"You're very welcome," he managed to sputter, and then hurriedly walked over to the kitchenette as Haru sat down on the couch. Turning the stove on high, Baron decided to let a tea kettle warm up. The day's untouched batch. "Would you like some tea?"

"Do you always have some brewing?" Haru teased, and laughed lightly.

Baron couldn't help but smile slyly at the remark, and easily combated, "Suffice it to say that there will always be enough to go around." Laughter replied to his counter, making his smile wider as he focused on getting the tea just the right temperature. Happy with the kettle's screeching, he poured his blend into the cups he always had lying around, and he nearly grinned when he realized that this time, Haru's teacup wouldn't need to be refilled repeatedly due to the size difference. Not that he minded, of course, but it sure saved more time for chatting.

When he turned back with one cup of tea in each hand, he saw Haru's eyes locked on the Baroness' portrait again. In the same way it had been the day her mother had been murdered, Haru's lovely maple orbs went distant and melancholy as she gazed at the beautiful white cat in the painting. "How do I feel so connected to you?" she murmured quietly before she looked at Baron, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

Alarm spread through Baron's body as he quickly rushed over, setting the tea down on the table before he reached Haru. Forgetting that his gloves would be wet, he didn't hesitate to dry the tears now pouring down her cheeks, inwardly worried about the fragile state she must be in.

As much as his heart cried when Haru did, he couldn't help but stare into her eyes. Those _eyes…_

"Baron, how did she die?" Haru whispered.

Ice crept onto the edges of the figurine's heart. His hands froze on her cheek as the flow of memories threatened to break free from the chambers of his mind. His hand finally dropped from the brunette's face to form a clenched fist at his side.

If there was one Baron truly detested, it was lying to Haru.

"She was sick, on our travels here. I thought it was a miracle that she lasted as long as she did, but…the Baroness passed on before she could lay eyes on the Refuge."

Gasping lightly, Haru's tearing eyes darted towards the portrait again, her hand flying to her chest at a sudden heartache. She held the intense gaze for a few long, agonizing seconds, before turning her watery eyes towards her feline companion, a soft smile barely lighting up her sad eyes. "…For some reason, Baron…I think she'd be proud to see what you've done since arriving here."

_Not if she knew how much I was lying right now,_ the Baron's sarcastic side thought. The Baroness had always hated dishonesty, and right now, her ex-fiancé was full of it. Oh, the many books she had swatted him with continuously whenever she had discovered so much as a fib had ever crossed his lips.

And having been raised with each other as cousins, the Baroness had never found a need to hold back.

"I would hope so," he muttered quietly. His palms rose gently to grace Haru's shoulders, feeling the brunette jolt from under him and turning around to look at his warm gaze. "I think it's best if we sit down, hm?"

Haru smiled and obliged, the two soon emerging themselves in avid conversation. They found themselves learning more of each other than they had in the past two years of the friendship put together. Baron never would have thought that Haru had been the greatest fan of books.

"There's not a book I haven't read in the Tokyo Library twice. Emerson, Dickens, Wilde, Twain, Oe, Murakami, Tolstoy – Hiromi hadn't moved into the neighborhood until our last few months of middle school, so _those writers_ were my best friends. And then…" Haru was cut off from her oratory as a gleeful laugh escaped her lips, bringing Baron back to Earth with the sound he had longed to hear for nearly a month. Gleaming white teeth lit up Haru's face as she stared warmly at the orange figurine, "…And then I rescued a prince from a raging truck."

Despite fighting off yet another incoming flood of heat towards his face, Baron smiled back. "And so a new chapter began."

"And another will begin tomorrow," Haru replied, making Baron cock an eyebrow at her. "I'll be going for an interview at that library tomorrow."

Now his other eyebrow joined his other in arching. "But Haru, you needn't –"

"—Muta was the only one living here who needed food and water to survive," Haru interjected matter-of-factly, and then her eyes averted to the left in thought, "And whatever of those he _did_ get was from the café and random passers-by who thought he was cute." She shook her head, determined to stay on track, and her gaze was then brought back to meet Baron's. "You know as well as anyone that I'm not the type to just be doing something. You guys have the Bureau, but where's my _personal_ productivity?" Her smile now seemed smirkish as she added, "Besides, with the money, I can at least get a better food supply."

Now she looked just plain smug. "Perhaps more herbs to experiment with for your tea would come with that?"

Baron searched her face, and found neither annoyance nor reluctance in her eyes. Simple eagerness, and honesty – a genuine desire to work. A proud, yet defeated smile crossed his furry lips. "Very well, then – I won't keep you from doing what you wish, Haru." _Even though I wouldn't mind if you spent the majority of time with m—at the Bureau. Not specifically with me, no, no. With the Bureau._ He needed to stop being selfish.

He could never give Haru what she wanted…not in this present state.

Haru grinned from ear to ear. She placed her tea cup over the table and swiftly walked over to where Baron sat, wrapping her arms around his neck in gratitude. A bolt of electricity snaked up both their bodies, and Haru's eyes widened as she realized what she was doing. She slowly but steadily parted from the Baron, who looked as equally flustered as she, and the brunette suddenly lost her ability to breathe.

"I…" she began, and sighed to calm herself, now looking at Baron with pure gratefulness. "Thank you, Baron, for giving me a true Sanctuary."

The night went on with them speaking some more, once again across from one another, and within the wee hours of the morning, Haru found herself drifting asleep on Baron's couch.

Turning around with two fresh cups of tea (it was truly amazing how the two could finish off so much tea in a few hours), Baron was surprised to see her curled up against herself, her head and one of her hands resting tenderly on an arm rest, her loose hair framing her pale face beautifully. Then warmth spread throughout the creation's body as he smiled, and gingerly set the tea cups down on the counter. Perhaps they would return to them in the morning.

At the present, Baron satisfied himself with draping about his coat over the brunette's increasingly slender form. Haru had always been slight, but now that he was paying attention to her frame, he was almost horrified to discover that Haru seemed she had a lost a good fifteen pounds. His brow furrowed, barely able to imagine her ordeal, of which she _still_ had not spoken about.

_Does she even _need _to? _he found himself wondering.

After all the conversation he and Haru had made during the night, he now took the time to look at the Baroness once more. He was relieved to see that her gaze lacked the severity it had possessed before Haru had entered his cottage. He took a few, silent, unsteady steps towards it, and lifted to touch the dried paint. "…If you really are, then _please promise me_ to continue watching over her…Louise."

* * *

The baron had long made his way to his personal quarters. Moonlight flowed shamelessly into the main area, casting all the ornate furniture Haru's chest rose and fell peacefully for the first time in a long while, and her sleep was dreamless. From out of nowhere, a faint gust of wind entered the Baron's home, and traversed silently to the foot of the golden couch, slowly swirling into itself, then spiraling upwards, beginning to take the curvy shape of a young woman. A transparent young woman.

Emerald eyes stared down at closed maple ones, sadness overcoming them to the point of being wet with tears. She silently fell to her knees, her hands clutching the material on the edge of the sofa tightly. She bent down and pressed a tender kiss on the brunette's pale cheek.

"I'll protect her with every fiber of my being, Git." _After I beat you senseless for lying so intentionally, you idiot._

Her form melted into the wind she once was as she willed herself to travel outside the manor, transforming into her transparent self again as she turned to her left, seeing the back of a sleeping Muta on his usual seat near the house. The tears threatened to rush forwards again, but she tore her gaze and face away from the large feline…only for them to lock onto a long stone pole leading up to a single crow gargoyle.

Anguish contorted her beautiful face as she ran for the pole, pulling her golden curls behind her, along with a flowing magenta dress that seemed more akin to the era of seventy years ago. She stopped within a few yards of the large pole, still being able to stare up at the gargoyle.

A sob wracked her body as her knees gave into themselves, and Louise buried her face in her elegant palms, for once grateful that she made it so no one could see or hear her, at least for the time being. Her sobs would for sure have awoken the sleeping brunette, perhaps even the whole world, with how loud they were.

"Toto…" she whispered, still heaving sporadically from her sobs. "Why?" she asked, quietly. And then the memories, the pain, the _millions of tears_, all came rushing back all at once. Louise arched her back towards the full moon, which lay just barely beyond her stone gargoyle.

"WHY?"

But it was but a silent cry. And Louise was doomed to have several more following it suit.


	5. Mystery After Mystery

Chapter 5

_Mystery After Mystery_

"Excuse me, ma'am."

Ushio Yazuki blinked, and averted her brown eyes from her computer screen to look in front of her…only to see a tiny hand waving to her, its owner still below the counter. Cocking an eyebrow, she rose from her seat and bent over the counter, revealing a lanky but petite girl of probably only eight years of age. Her eyes softened but maintained their curiosity. "What can I help you with, my dear? Have you lost your mother?"

The girl's head tilted sideways, her maple eyes blinking innocently. "Mommy's at a quilting convention. I took a bus here by myself."

Ushio's eyebrows shot upwards. There was no way. The girl didn't seem affected by this at all. "All alone…without your mother? Dear, how old are you?" she asked, her mind still in a whirl that _any_ mother would leave such an adorable child _alone._

The girl giggled. "No, I'm not_ really_ alone. My daddy's still at home. But he's out working today too." Her eyes seemed to grow distant, and a little melancholy. "They love me very much, but they're both very busy with work and all…" she murmured, as though she were trying to convince herself of this fact. But her spirit rebounded and she smiled widely at the librarian. "I'm Yoshioka Haru, by the way. It's nice to meet you. What's your name, ma'am?"

The thirty year-old librarian had to let a laugh escape her lips. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Haru. My name's Yazuki Ushio. I suppose this is your first visit to the library?" She was answered with an eager nod, the high ponytail Haru's chocolate locks were tied in bobbing cheerily. Warmth seemed to spread through Ushio's system, and she pointed over the children's section. "Children's books are over there, sweetie. Plain fiction isn't too far to that, just go to the right a little more. I hope you enjoy yourself here."

"I've always loved books, so I'm sure I will!" the girl chirped enthusiastically. She bowed gratefully. "Thank you, Miss Yazuki."

Ushio's lips curled into a warm smile once more. More than she had in such a really long time. "Call me Ushio, Haru, please. Enjoy yourself. Take as long as you'd like."

Throughout the day, Ushio busied herself with work, but she could never truly take her eyes off of the young brunette for more than half an hour. Haru would have a different set of books every couple glances, scouring through the pages hungrily. For some reason, she felt oddly attached to this new wonder.

And she would continue to be, for eight long years afterwards.

Until one day, Haru hadn't appeared for more than a week. Ushio had to admit to herself she had seen it coming. Such a vibrant girl, however shy and without friends she was, was bound to have some jumpstart in social status. She was bound to be out socializing her friends, or even with a beau. Ushio knew that Haru was destined for such great things, and if anyone deserved to have those privileges, it was her Haru.

Years had gone by since then. Ushio was still decent looking her forty-six, but the gray hairs were visible in her raven locks and lines were apparent around her eyes and mouth. But one thing still remained the same: she worked diligently on her computer, even in the early morning hours. She was the first one in the library, and the last one out. Her co-workers would continue tell her doing so was pointless, and if not dangerous for her health. But Ushio refused to do so; she loved this library too much.

And who knew? Perhaps Haru would show up, and what would Ushio do if she had allowed herself to miss that?

It was one of those early mornings, where Ushio's surprisingly adept fingers were rhythmically drumming against the keyboard as she lay hard at work. Night was still fighting the day for the sun's time over the sky, but alas, the moon's light was no match for the sun's, and it gave up its place in the sky, as it did every day. There wouldn't be a patron in the library for another hour or so.

But too her surprise, Ushio heard clear footsteps making their way inside, and she nearly jolted, her bifocals easily becoming lopsided across the bridge of her nose. She looked up from the desk, ever so curious as to who in the _world_ would _dare_ to be up this early. But she couldn't see the incomer at this angle. Frowning to herself, she grudgingly pushed herself upwards from her faithful leather chair, and her flats clicked against the marble floors of the library as she made her way down to open the small door that was the sole barrier between librarians and patrons. She leaned forward, putting most of her weight on one leg to get a better visual of her mysterious early bird.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat.

"_Haru?"_ she all but shouted, her clear voice ringing throughout the halls of the library.

Sure enough, there was the brunette that had touched her heart those ten years ago. But at the same time, Ushio couldn't help but notice how _dramatically_ different the formally shy, insecure schoolgirl was. Her hair had grown down to her waist, and was no longer constricted by her then-usual high ponytail, and her bangs had grown out slightly, framing her eyes nicely. She wasn't in her school uniform, but in a white dress shirt tucked into sharply-pleated gray suit pants, her black flats clicking against the floor. And yet her maple eyes, still as kind as she remembered, lit up brilliantly at hearing her name.

It was so glorious, and yet so startling. Without really thinking, Ushio found herself walking swiftly over to the brunette, almost breaking completely into a run. "Haru!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the slim girl, who laughed and eagerly embraced her back, but not as much force as she used to. "Relax, my dear, I can still handle a tight hug from you," Ushio reassured, and nearly beamed with relief as she received that wanted hug.

"Ushio, I'm _so _sorry I never visited you, after so long…" the remorse vibrating through Haru's voice was almost too painful for Ushio to hear. "Can you ever forgive me?"

"There was never anything to forgive, Haru-chan," Ushio murmured, parting from Haru, but keeping her arms securely on her shoulders, in order to get a good look at her. "You've become so beautiful – I was expecting your visits to become limited. You've finally gained that confidence I knew you would possess, and life's been busy because of that, right?"

Haru nodded. "I always enjoyed how sharp you were, Ushio. How have you been?" she asked as the two made it back to the librarians' desks.

"A little lonely, to be honest, and a little older, but…seeing you makes that all the better! And you?" the years that they needed to catch up were immense, and bound to have been eventful.

Haru's eyes, much to Ushio's surprise, became anguished, however. "Mom…Mom passed away three weeks ago, unfortunately. I've been living with a friend now, so I'm not entirely lonely. Otherwise…I've been very well."

_Never thought I would hear Haru mention a friend,_ Ushio thought, _She was always so lonely…_ She put a smile on her face, to show that the news hadn't made her as sorrowful as it truly did. "I'm sorry to hear that, Haru, but it brings me much happiness to know that things are working out."

As if triggered by something she had said, Haru snapped to attention and began searching by a cream messenger bag that she had strapped around her breast. "I…I know I haven't been around in awhile, and the book arrangement, titles, and numbers have probably changed significantly, but…since I'm on my own now, I'd like to become a librarian as well. I don't have a formal résumé, but I have a form of sorts that could qualify –"

Ushio held her hand up, silencing the potential ramble. "Say no more. You're hired."

Her hand was just about to grasp a black binder before it froze, and Haru looked at Ushio in shock. "Ushio, are you sure –"

"—More than you would think, my dear." She took Haru's smooth hands in her own slightly wrinkled ones. "You practically grew up here. I'll admit, the library has seen better days, and we haven't changed whatsoever since your last visit. Our staff has been reduced to half of what it was, and we need help, but more _importantly_, Haru; you're highly qualified for the job. You remember all those times I showed you what my job was all about?"

"Of course! I took you to career day a couple years when I was a kid, even."

"So it's decided. How does today sound?"

"Wonderful."

* * *

The sun shone through the glass windows high above the walls of the Tokyo Library, its position sending bright rays of sunshine into Haru's unprotected eyes. It took all her willpower not to yelp and mutter some unintelligible as the books in her arms fell to the floor. Thank God that the floor was draped in carpet in this section, otherwise no one would have a very good impression of their new and admittedly young librarian.

"Danggit," was all she grumbled as she reassembled all the books into her arms, quickly arranging them in their proper places in accordance to the library's sorting system she had practically memorized as a child.

There were a significant amount of patrons in the libraries, at least one looking through every few aisles. The fiction section was in its proper order, so she turned her attention the sections she had visited a little less than the others, particularly the nonfiction section.

The library, although far from empty, wasn't in a very hectic state. Perhaps Ushio would even allow her to read something on the job, so long as her duties were done. Haru turned left and entered the first, then second nonfiction aisles, searching for anything that she found remotely interesting.

_Marvelous Wonders of the World. _Didn't everyone at least know seven?

_Miracle of Miracles: The Making of Fiddler on the Roof_. Finding that out would just take the fun out of the musical.

_Mysterious Unsolved Cases of Tokyo._

Haru stopped mid-step, even taking a few paces back to look at the title once more. "Now here's something," she whispered to herself, reaching out and taking the silver paperback book into her slender palms, brushing away the layer of dust to see the title in brilliant, metallic scarlet letters across the front cover. _Hm, it looks so strangely recent for a library that hasn't changed its stock in over four years_,she had to think to herself as she flipped it open to the table of contents, seeing that there were actually _several_ unsolved mysteries in Tokyo that not even the young adult gossip circuit was aware of. Sure, there was the twelve year child model that suddenly disappeared after a photo-shoot, then rumored to have been killed, gutted, and stuffed, and there was the teenage boy who shared a different but equally as tragic a fate, but that was all the mysteries she knew about. There were so _many…_

_Four Unfortunate British Souls._

"Hm?" she wondered, looking to the left to see the page number. 233. When did that section end? She looked downwards and her eyes shot open. 256.

"Two fifty-six!" she said loudly, but instantly clamped her hand over her mouth, cursing herself for being so oblivious to her surroundings. But no piercing hushes replied to her outburst, thank goodness.

But really, _23_ pages? _Must be some story to write about, I guess._

She then flipped open to 233 and found the chapter title. Soon enough, Haru became lost within the world of the mystery…

_It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. A joyous opportunity to see the world before their respective duties were forced upon their young souls, and to get one last taste of all the adventure life could offer. After all, the allegiances between Japan and Britain hadn't been tarnished by World War II just yet. All four were looking forward to their trip in the mysterious world of Tokyo. _

_Their trip started off well enough. Visits to old antique shops, dining at authentic, simple restaurants…the four young adults wanted nothing but a genuine, simple Japanese experience._

_It wasn't until the only female of the group, a fiancée to one of them, had suffered the ill intentions of a young German traveler, where the trouble seemed to begin. Her fiancé defended her pride fiercely, along with the two other men. From what several witnesses, the quartet seemed an extremely close-knit arrangement, and there appeared nothing scandalous about the beautiful young woman being surrounded by three equally-attractive young men._

"_They were still foreign to us, but no one could deny their overall beauty; even the young men seemed like the Greek gods of old to us," says one of the barmaids of one of the restaurants the four had dined at. _

_The four encountered strange experiences from then on. From…_

She read on and on about the unfortunate tourists, as they encountered strange and somewhat supernatural events at various places they visited, while the investigator who wrote the book discovers that the strange German traveler from before had been near all those places at the exact same time the quartet had been. _What a creep…poor…_ Haru stopped mid-thought, stiffening slightly.

The report failed to have mentioned _any names_ whatsoever. Strange. _Don't these reports normally name the subjects as quickly as possible, like Yagami Aoi, 18, or Ichinosen Hana, 45?_

Suddenly Haru was thrown towards the bookshelf as a shoulder brushed passed her own.

"Oof!" she cried quietly, barely able to catch her footing. She looked over to see a distressed young man with dark brown hair and blue eyes gaze worriedly at her before rushing over.

"My apologies, miss," he whispered, frustrated. "I hadn't meant to cause you trouble. Are you alright?" He had a strange accent much like that of Baron and Louise, but Haru couldn't help but think he was of different European descent. Besides, that hadn't been the only thing about the stranger that had struck her as…shocking.

"I'm…I'm fine, sir, don't trouble yourself," Haru whispered shakily.

His blue eyes stared down at the book, and his eyes softened considerably as he clicked his tongue over the roof of his mouth. "Oh, that old mystery. Tragic, isn't it? Those poor nobles and their friend."

"They were nobles?" Haru whispered, barely above a whisper as she took a look at the article again, not really reading the words. It was just for an excuse not to look at _him_.

"Oh, I supposed you haven't read that far into it," the young man murmured, seeming somewhat disappointed. He bowed by the waist, shocking Haru with his apparent knowledge of their customs. "Sorry to have troubled you, miss. Have a nice day." With an apologetic smile, he made his way down the aisle.

"You –" she was cut off as the young man made a turn right, disappearing from her view, "…too…" Now that she was sure no one could see her, Haru allowed herself to start trembling violently.

_He…he looked almost exactly…like Daddy…_ she thought, the young man's piercing blue eyes burning into her mind. However…there was something different about him. The only reason she hadn't practically jumped into the man's arms, crying over and over "Daddy, you finally came back" was that there was something…dishonest about his gaze. Her father never had that in him. His eyes had been full, happy, and as open as the sky.

But the resemblance was absolutely _chilling._ "E-E-Excuse me," she whispered, placing the book back at its rightful before making a run down the hallway in the direction the mysterious man went. "Sir, I—"

Her view of the library was suddenly obstructed, because as soon as she turned the corner, Louise's face was in in close proximity to hers. "Why hello there, Haru," the blonde foreigner greeted quietly, a strange calmness in her lilting accent. Come to think of it, her dear friend didn't seem herself at all at the moment. Her meridian eyes were dulled in shine, as if she had spent the night before crying her heart out. Still, Louise had a brilliant, if not weak, smile on her face. "Fancy seeing you here, hm?"

Haru's shock immediately melted away at the sight of the blonde. "Louise!" she whispered, throwing her arms around the blonde's waist in a tender hug, sending heat up Louise's cheeks. Haru stepped back, elbows bent against her body and palms out defensively towards the blonde. "I'm sorry, was that…?"

She was cut off as Louise gently shook her head. "No, it's not that, Haru. Not that at all. I'm not quite used to getting hugs from females, is all. My…" she laughed softly, "my life, you could say, was plagued by rambunctious boys."

A guilty smile crossed Haru's lips at bringing her friend any discomfort, "Oh, my bad. You're still a bit of a mystery to me, y'know…" The melancholy aura that seemed to permeate over her friend caught Haru's attention once more. "…What's wrong, Louise?"

The blonde's eyes widened and narrowed all in one second. "Haru, don't worry about me, you hear?" she whispered, and for some reason, looked behind her with a nasty look on her face, as if warning somebody not come near. Her face relaxed as soon as she turned towards Haru, however, and an easy smile crossed her face once more. "So what brings you here? Never took you for a bookworm."

_Baron said that same thing last night,_ Haru thought, cocking her eyebrow at the extraordinary similarities between the two. She knew not all British foreigners were like them, but these two being the only ones she was aware of, it was starting to seem that way. Haru sweat-dropped and laughed nervously, but quietly. "Um, actually, I just got hired as a librarian today. I'm living with a friend of mine now."

"I noticed. I had a panic attack when I saw your house had been emptied. Especially when I only saw you a few days before."

Another sweat-drop. More nervous laughing. "Yeah…they really helped with the packing." In truth, Baron had magicked all the furniture she had wanted to keep into her new home. But with all the space she had, the house still seemed so expansive.

"I'll say!" Louise replied as they made their way to the front desk, where Ushio was gazing fondly at Haru speaking amiably with a friend. The blonde foreigner lay a playful punch on her darker friend's arm, "You had the gall to not tell me!"

Third sweat-drop. "I-I-I-I'm sorry…I was kind of caught up in the whole thing. Think you could forgive me?"

Louise's eyes didn't seem as wistful when a smirk crossed her face. "Already forgiven, silly."

* * *

Haru crossed into the last alleyway and was grateful that she was almost home. Sighing with relief, she hopped eagerly out of the passageway and eagerly awaited her body shrinking as she made her way inside the Refuge. Toto and Muta, much to her amusement, were already deeply set into one of their scuffles, Baron quietly watching them from the bench in front of his cottage, sipping at his tea gingerly.

A slim smile made its way across her face. _I guess things passed on just normally for them._

"Just try the darn mulberry tea, you overstuffed pillowcase!"

"Oh yeah, I'm taking culinary advice from someone who's been dieting on boiled grass and worms. Freaking over-grown chicken!"

"Okay, _seriously_? Could you come up with a more original nickname, you helium-filled marshmallow? That got old the first sixteen times you used it!"

"Shuddup, Birdbrain!"

"Your creativity ceases to amaze me, fatso!"

"Come now, Toto, you're not exactly a genuine Mark Twain, yourself." Haru had told jolt slightly at Baron's unusual interjection into the fray. Wouldn't he normally sit back and watch?

"Yeah, what Baron said!" Muta agreed, a smug grin on his face as he proudly crossed his arms over his furry chest.

The crow gargoyle toppled the obese feline in an aerial head-butt. "Oh, _please_, name one book Mark Twain wrote!"

Haru saw Muta open his mouth to answer confidently, but Baron interrupted once more, an uncharacteristic smirk across his face as he said "One which isn't _The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn._" He and Toto shared a cheeky, knowing glance, sure that they had Muta stumped.

"That's easy. _A Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court!_"

Baron had to turn around to spit his tea in utter shock, an action Haru thought would never witness. Both the baron and the gargoyle stared in utter amazement at a _very_ smug Muta.

"Whipped," Muta remarked, the expression of shock never leaving Baron's or Toto's expressions.

At the last remarked, Haru found herself laughing hysterically, causing all three members of the Cat Bureau to look at her in surprise.

Baron's horrified face flushed red as Toto started hiding his beak in one wing, his body wracking with silent laughter. Muta, however, preferred to be honest about his mirth, and the large white cat doubled over on the cobblestone pavement, chortling.

"H-H-Haru," Baron stammered, the added color to his face dimming only a little. "How…how long have you been standing there?"

The brunette in question held a hand over her chest as if to calm her own laughter. She wiped a tear from her eyes, still giggling. "I think it started with Toto trying to convince Muta to drink mulberry tea…"

"Then…then you saw…" Baron quickly looked away, completely embarrassed to have let his guard down so immaturely in front of Haru.

Haru giggled again. "Don't be ashamed, Baron. I'm happy all three of you are so comfortable with one another." A few more laughs escaped her, and her heart felt incredibly lighter. Even though Louise had made her laugh several times, nothing had made her laugh so uproariously as the scene that had just unfolded itself. "I…I'm thankful, really. I haven't laughed like that in ages."

At that, Baron was able to face her again, a nervous grin on his face, "Well, I suppose when you put it that way, I'm happy we were able to take your mind off things." He then shot quick glares at his two other comrades, who both looked slyly to the side after ceasing their own amusement. "…Anyway. I take it you got the job, Haru?"

Haru nodded, "Easily. My friend over there was so kind to me."

"You'll have to tell us about it later," Toto said, calming down for the moment. Haru wasn't able to really tell due to his pitch-black coloring, but she could barely see the makings of a smile on her friend's beak. "We'd like to know how your first day went."

"Today…today was…eventful, to say the least." Even though she easily had the trio's attention thanks to her vague summary, she smiled with her eyes closed, nervously waving her hand. "But don't trouble yourself with me yet. I'll go get changed into something a little comfier." With that, she strode over quickly to her new home, stealing a quick glance backwards at her favorite trio before shutting the door behind her.

She then veered to a sharp left and silently lifted a corner of her white curtains to look at them without being noticed. Toto and Muta were pointing wings and paws at Baron, mocking him for something Haru wasn't exactly aware of. Baron, after seemingly losing his composure once more, began chasing after them with his cane, with Toto easily evading him with taking off flying, laughing as Muta was stuck being chased by the incensed baron.

A soft smile crossed her lips once again. A practice she was grateful to become used to again. _Baron really lets himself go with those two, hm?_ she thought to herself. _I guess that makes sense, with all the time they must have spent together._

That's when a question arose in her thoughts, and Haru wondered why it hadn't come up sooner.

Just how long _had _the trio been together?

Muta, being a feline, couldn't have been spending more than seven years with them. Wasn't he already getting older? And Toto…wasn't he the one to have first reached the Refuge? 300 years ago? And Baron, judging by his clothes, could only have been here for seventy years or so.

Baron and Toto, both being immortals, being comfortable around one another, Haru could understand, but when _Muta_, the _sole_ mortal, was placed into the equation…that was when things didn't seem to make sense.

For her to be so comfortable with somebody, she would have to know them at least a decade.

But these three seemed to have known one another for several.

How strange, she thought. The man that resembled her father. Louise's sudden change of mood. That book…

Haru gasped and she slapped her head with the same palm of her hand that had held the corner of the curtain, completely losing sight of her favorite trio. "Crap, I didn't get to check it out!"

* * *

Blue eyes stared intently at the orb of neon green light before him, where he saw a certain brunette make her way up to her personal quarters. "Good. Getting her away from that book was simple enough," he muttered to himself, swooping one arm over the light in order for it to dematerialize into several light green wisps.

The man turned back, his once youthful and clean-shaven face now lined and bearded. His dark brown locks, once feathery and smooth, were slightly tussled and bristly now. He narrowed his eyes as he saw a feminine form materializing in front of him. He hastily turned away into the darkness of his hideaway, his hands clenching into fists. "I thought I told you I hated your presence in this place, Louise."

"And I really give a damn," snapped the fiery blonde, her emerald eyes blazing with rage. "I thought I warned you to _stay_ _away_ from Haru. Not freaking barging into her life and making her briefly think you were her long lost father!"

A loud slap echoed throughout the man's fortress, followed by Louise hitting the floor hard. "_NEVER_ talk to me that way!" the man snapped. "I'm the reason you aren't completely _dead!_"

"I might as well be!" Louise countered, pure anguish flowing through her eyes as she rubbed her soar cheek, which would probably remain red for a few hours. "I'm invisible to those who I really care for, and visible to Haru and complete strangers." Her eyes turned begging, and she looked up at the man. "_Please_, Reich, stop this."

Reich cocked an eyebrow, and turned so that he could bend down to meet Louise's eyes. "Will you swear to love me?" he asked stoically, and as he expected, his vision was filled with spit. "Naturally. Well, no can do then. Terribly sorry, my dear."

Louise rubbed her mouth clean of any remaining saliva, her eyes narrowed dangerously at the lanky figure. "You horrible monster."

"Why, thank you, Louise. That's probably the first compliment you've paid to me these past seven decades."

Reich looked towards the right of his dark abyss, and held out a hand towards it, muttering a few unintelligible words that caused his palm to glow in his familiar neon green signature. A light green orb soon emerged from the depths, and as it reached him and the fallen Louise, began to form into the slumped form of an unconscious man, barred to the floor with chains.

If not for his clean-shaven face and tidy brown hair, he could have passed as Reich's twin. But as he opened his eyes, Louise instantly knew that wasn't the case.

Those blue orbs were far purer than Reich's.

She whipped around to Reich, her teeth clenched in a newfound fury.

"What have you _done_?"

A sickeningly twisted smirk contorted Reich's features as he stared down at Louise, then back at the man. "I've simply garnered a way to help me destroy Creations."

* * *

**Alright, so there you have it. I hope these chapters sufficed your wants for an update.**

**And I doubly hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season! Please pray that I won't get that deep a Writer's Block anytime soon.**

**Have a great season!**

**- Gabby**


	6. A Present of Sorts For 2013

Hello, all!

Gabby here.

Some of you are very concerned for As the Rain Falls, and you should be. You have had every right to be. I myself am honestly very disappointed in what has become of my updates.

So, as a New Year's present, I've come to put your minds at ease.

**YES, this story is still on.**

The reason it hasn't been updated is that it's being rewritten.

Like, _completely_ rewritten.

(I am seriously hearing everyone's "AWW C'MON BRO YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME" comments right now. Trust me, I'd be the same way.)

I've decided to pay a little more attention to FanFiction and my stories and my reviewers. I've been very distant lately, and words can't really describe how sorry I am for it. An author is nothing without their readers. You all deserve to be treated better.

So…incoming:

1. NEW As the Rain Falls (Title Might Change…Anyone Have Any Suggestions?)

2. 2 more stories! (One for _Treasure Planet_, Another for _Rise of the Guardians_)

3. I'm bringing back review replies! I miss talking to you guys, so I really think it'd be nice doing that again.

4. Before any of these stories go up, they're being WRITTEN COMPLETELY. That way, it's a little less stress for me, and you guys get your consistent updates! Win-Win, yes?

And after that, we shall see…

Happy New Year, everyone! And a very warm thank you for being supportive. I really don't deserve any, so again, thank you so much! Have a wonderful, blessed 2013!

With all my love,

Gabby


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